Topeka man indicted on gun charge within months of release from prison

A Topeka man was indicted Wednesday on a federal firearm charge that is alleged to have occurred within months of his release from federal prison in a similar case, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Brandon E. Derr, 31, who is being held in the Shawnee County Jail, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. According to the federal Bureau of Prisons, Derr was released Sept. 18, 2015, after serving a 24-month sentence. In that case he was indicted in 2012. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2013.

In the new indictment, it is alleged Derr possessed a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol on Nov. 12, 2015, in Topeka.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Other grand jury indictments include:

Jason D. Bulger, 35, who is being held in the Shawnee County Jail, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 26, 2016, in Topeka, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Vondel S. Johnson, 32, who is being held in the CCA facility in Leavenworth, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 3, 2016, in Topeka, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.